Lomé, 30 March 2022 (TDI): According to the Togolese government, Lomé Conference on Political Transitions and the Fight against Terrorism in the Sahel and West Africa will consider the possibility of establishing a dialogue with terrorist groups.
The Sahel region has long been threatened by terrorism which forces west African countries to face serious regional security problems. Lomé Conference aims on offering a high-level platform to improve understanding of the current situation; develop means to stem the spread of terrorism and also expand regional capacity to mobilize in the face of security threats.
Lomé Conference on Political Transitions and the Fight against Terrorism in the Sahel and West Africa will be held on April 21, at Lomé. The President of the Republic of Togo, Faure E. Gnassingbe is the organizer of the Lomé conference.
Foreign Ministers from across the African continent, Secretary-General of the United Nations, Chairman of the African Union Commission, Chairman of the ECOWAS Commission, Chairman of the ECCAS Commission, and also current President of G5 Sahel will assist.
OBJECTIVES OF THE LOMÉ CONFERENCE
The Lomé Conference has eight objectives. The first one is to identify strategies for actions taken by regional organizations to consolidate the role of Sahel and West African states. The second one is to address challenges related to security; and the fight against terrorism at both national and regional levels.
The third is then to support the political transition process. Fourth is to also consider the problems and possibilities of dialogue with insurgent groups or violent extremism in the current context of regional counter-terrorism.
Then the fifth one is to enhance the resilience of local people and communities. The sixth one is to encourage support from the international community; particularly technical and financial partners in the region.
The seventh one is to build a strong coalition of African and international partners around ensuring regional security. Finally, the last one is to adopt a so-called “Lomé Declaration” on political transitions and the fight against regional terrorism.
As a part of the preparation work for the Lomé Conference; an international colloquium took place from March 5 to March 6 this year. The colloquium had the topic of Managing Political Transitions and Strengthening Resilience Against Violent Extremism; Case of West Africa.
Furthermore, it is important to mention that this is a high-level expert panel meeting moderated by Robert Dussey; who is the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration, and Togolese Abroad. Terrorism will lead the agenda of the coming Lomé Conference.
